John Schuttler: Those opposing “red flag” laws are hypocrites

Those opposing “red flag” laws are hypocrites. Gun advocates, frequently, have labeled mass shooters as mentally unstable, relying on the old adage, “guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” Now, when presented with an opportunity to keep guns out of the hands of the “wrong” people, they have claimed that gun ownership, regardless of mental state, is sacrosanct.

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What will they say if a mass shooting occurs in Weld County and it is later revealed that the shooter had serious mental health issues and his family or friends had warned authorities of a threat, only to be told, “We won’t take away anyone’s guns?” I can only imagine the class action lawsuit brought by victims and their families against the county, its commissioners, and law enforcement professionals for nullifying a state law. That the county and Sheriff Reams claim they cannot afford to build a storage facility for the guns they would confiscate under the “red flag” law suggests their belief that enough guns would be seized to warrant a new building.

I couldn’t care less about law-abiding, well-adjusted folks owning as many guns as they feel they need, but they can’t tell me they are comfortable with the idea of someone like James Holmes, the Aurora theater shooter, having that same right. Of course, gun control zealots could clog the system of judicial review for such cases by claiming their neighbor with the annoying dogs and trash in his yard, is “crazy,” but I’d rather have a little of that than even a hint of slaughter. Red flag laws wont’ stop all mass shootings, but even one less would be a welcome change.